Naturally occurring polymers with biomedical applications

collagen

Collagen is a natural polymer familiar to everyone. Leather is collagen. Gelatin, the powder in every jello box, is collagen. Collagen gives structure and shape to all the tissues in the body, just as it does for leather and jello. It’s use in biomedical products is at least 2,000 years old, perhaps beginning when sutures were made of catgut. For at least 100 years, collagen has been used as a simple patch to aid skin wound healing. John A. M. Ramshaw…